Restorations

FergieTrailerShop regularly has a display stand at the Newark tractor show in autumn and The Tractor World Show at The Three Counties Showground in spring.

Discussions with trailer owners who did not have the skills or the facilities to do work on their own projects have led to complete restorations on 30Cwt and 3 ton trailers being undertaken. The customers have been very pleased with the results and have displayed their completed projects at tractor shows, leading to further enquiries. A happy customer is the best form of advertising, so that is all very pleasing.

Restorations are never totally straightforward but experience is very handy and gives a good insight into the likely problem areas. Work is normally done for an agreed fixed price as things tend to balance out – some jobs go easier than expected, some may be more difficult. It is not always necessary to simply replace parts, many can be satisfactorily cleaned, inspected, and reassembled, ready for further decades of service. Just replacing everything that can be replaced is somehow losing the point! So, sympathetic restoration is what we prefer to do.

These things take a long time to do which in many cases is why (with all due respect), the customer has not got round to doing the job! A 30Cwt trailer could be turned round in 2 months, whereas a 3 ton trailer (with woodwork) might take a bit longer. Obviously these projects have to be fitted around regular work. The standard of finish is better than when the trailers were new, paintwork is carried out by a professional tractor restorer who has won many trophies in his own right.

A choice of timber is offered. The handbooks of the time talk of the trailers being boarded out with ‘far eastern hardwood’, which was probably Keruing. This is still available but is becoming very expensive. It is not the nicest of wood, being very oily and having lots of splinters which will turn septic overnight if they end up in your fingers. The good news is that Keruing does not go rotten. I have experience of a number of these trailers with the remains of what look like original boards and a lot of these look like the boards were pine. We must remember that Pine from the 1950s was different to the Pine of today, which would not last very long at all. Some people talk of Deal being used too. I think that we have to be realistic and understand that these were made as farm trailers and the manufacturers would have improvised if they ran out of a particular material. We have recently fitted out a trailer with Larch boards which has proved very cost effective.

As a rough guide, a complete restoration of a customer’s 30Cwt trailer will cost around £3800, whereas a 3 ton trailer will be a little more, depending on the type of timber that is chosen. The important thing to remember is that we will do as much or as little as you want. For instance you may be keen to do the woodwork on your 3 ton trailer but want us to do the mechanical stuff and the paintwork. No problem! Just call to discuss your requirements. Please note that FergieTrailerShop is not VAT registered so you will not have VAT added to the quoted prices.

Generally a complete restoration of your original 30 Cwt trailer will cost around £3800 and the complete restoration of a 3 ton trailer will cost around £4800.

The pictures in the restorations gallery show the recent restorations carried out for customers. The 30Cwt trailer resides near Aberdeen, the 3 ton trailer is based just north of London and is shown on a regular basis.